


Risen Fate

by Junkiia



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Fate & Destiny, Female Frisk (Undertale), Friendship, Gen, The Surface (Undertale), Undertale Monsters on the Surface, humans lost the war
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:46:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29525916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Junkiia/pseuds/Junkiia
Summary: “Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: Humans and Monsters.  One day, war broke out between the two races…  After a long battle, monsters were victorious.”They say a human child will rise to the surface and free them all.Seven years ago, the first human discovered they could push through the magical spell monsters placed to keep humans sealed underground.  They never returned.  Every year after, a human child was chosen to go up and try to make peace with the monsters.  No one has ever returned.  No one has freed them.No savior has risen.
Relationships: Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 8
Kudos: 16





	1. A Story

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> I was looking around for works of fanfictions that dealt with what would happen if humans lost the war and were banished underground. I couldn’t find anything like what I was looking for, so I decided to write my own. I will be adding a few other small touches to this that also diverge from the canon “universe” and a typical "humans lost the war AU", but you’ll see when we get there. 
> 
> I’m excited to write this! Thank you for reading!

_The young kid readjusted the cowl of his black cloak so it covered his face fully. He peeked out from behind a tree at the single guard in front of the cave entrance. He had to get past the guard, and he had to do it quick. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, but his absence had likely already been discovered. As soon as his parents were informed, they would have the whole castle looking for him. He didn’t want to ever be found by them._

_What he was about to attempt to do was all about timing. He had to stay patient or he would mess everything up. The guard would catch him and take him home. His parents would assign someone to watch him at all times. He would never have another chance like this._

_He just needed to give the guard a few more seconds. They would walk into the cave to retrieve the package always sent up through the pulley system monsters had installed for the humans. They would then meet someone tasked with pick up a little less than halfway down the mountain. He could move then._

_Like clockwork, the guard moved at the exact time he had known they would. They disappeared into the cave for a couple heartbeats and then walked out with a wooden box filled with jars that held a strange looking substance. The kid had never seen it before. He’d only been taught about what it was. He didn’t have the time to dwell on it too much. The guard walked down the mountain. The trip down and back would take the speedy monster guard about ten minutes._

_As soon as he was out of sight, the boy dashed out from his hiding spot and ran into the cave. His hood fell down. He skidded to a stop just in front of the hole and gasped. This place was even bigger and more magnificent than he had thought it would. The space was enormous and high. If he dared make a noise, his voice would echo. He wished he could have tried it out, but he didn’t want to alert anyone of his presence. He didn’t want to leave behind even the slightest evidence of where he had gone._

_He gingerly stepped over the ivy that grew. He would feel really stupid if he tripped. He didn’t want to say he fell down because he had been clumsy. Of course, saying he fell down on purpose wasn’t a good reason either. With a hole this big, there wasn’t a chance of coming up with a good reason. He would either have to say he fell because he had been clumsy, an idiot, or he hated his life. Now that he thought about it, clumsy did seem to be the best way to explain._

_He positioned himself on the opposite side of where the pulley system – a tool of rope, levers, and platforms going down into the dark abyss- was located. He was too big to use the pulley system to go down. His weight would break the rope, and he wouldn’t fit on the platform. The platform wasn’t even big enough to fit the box. It was only designed to take the jars up. The guard boxed them as he collected them._

_He didn’t know how high a creature could fall without dying, but he hoped he was close enough to the bottom that he wouldn’t die. He hadn’t come here to die. He only wanted to get away from the life he lived now._

_He had to admit, this wasn’t a very good choice. He was well aware it was an awful decision, but he had thought long and hard about it. He couldn’t keep living as he was now, and while running away was an awful thing to do it was the only thing he could think to do. This was the path he was choosing to go down. He wouldn’t allow himself to regret or have second thoughts about his decision._

_He felt like his lungs constricted when he stepped closer to the hole. He closed his eyes and tried to breath normally. He took slow steps forward until his foot dropped down onto nothing. His balance was lost. He bit back a scream as he tumbled headfirst into the darkness._

* * *

The room was lit lowly by blue mushrooms hung on the brown cavern wall. The soft blue light they emitted cast shadows over seven kids’ faces. The children had better light sources they could use to brighten their room. In the 80 or so years humans had been stuck underground, they had discovered different resources they could use for light that were brighter and more efficient than the mushrooms. The children used the other sources in the daytime. They preferred to use the mushrooms for night. Not only were they one of the few magical items humans had, but the light of the mushrooms also gave a calming atmosphere to their room which helped the kids relax, more or less. Some of the kids were young and carried energy with them at all times. The two middle children were still jumping between the beds lined up against the wall.

The eldest watched the younger kids amused and tired with two babies in her arms. The babies were yawning and falling asleep. She wanted to put them down to bed. Something she couldn’t do with the noise the kids were creating.

“Frisk should tell us a story,” one of the older kids said, noticing how tired Frisk was and wanting to help out.

Their reaction was instant. The two middle children stopped jumping and scampered to the eldest. They hopped onto the bed Frisk was seated on and sat next to her.

“Oh, yes, please!”

“Tell us a story!”

“I will, but only if you promise to go to bed when I’m finished.”

“Okay, we will!” The two grinned. “We promise!”

“What story should I tell you?”

The other two older children also placed themselves on the bed with Frisk. They enjoyed hearing her stories too.

“Tell us the one about the war!”

“That one again?” Frisk feigned exasperation. “Fine, I’ll tell it to you.”

“Yay!” They leaned closer towards the eldest.

She bounced the babies in her arms and took a breath. “Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: Humans and Monsters. One day, war broke out between the two races.”

“Why?” the middle children asked, even though they had heard this story plenty of times. They always got into it. She counted on them to get into it. The story was always better when they asked questions.

“No one knows,” Frisk replied. “We just had trouble getting along. Monsters were worried about us and our strength. We were scared of monsters.”

“Why were we scared of monsters?”

“Monsters have the ability to steal our SOULs when we die.”

“What is a SOUL? People keep talking about them, but I don’t know what they are.”

Frisk nodded. “You wouldn’t. We lost our ability to call upon our SOULs when we were brought here. We might not even have them anymore. The knowledge of them is slowly fading away. They’re these hearts that glow and come out of our chests when we fight.”

“Have you seen a SOUL? How do you know about them?”

“I… Should get back to the story. We’re getting off track.” His question brought up memories Frisk didn’t want to think about. She focused on the babies instead. She smiled down at the little ones when she noticed they had fallen asleep. She stood up to place them onto their bed next to hers. “We certainly should have had no reason to fear monsters. We were so much stronger than them. We should have been able to win that battle… We didn’t. After a long battle, the monsters were victorious.”

“How come we didn’t win?” One of the older kids asked, right on cue.

“For one, they took away our sorcerers. They also found a way to take away what made us so strong: our determination. They found a way to suck it right out from our bodies.” Frisk sat back down on the bed. The second youngest girl settled herself into Frisk’s lap. The other middle child rested his head against her side.

“With our sorcerers and determination gone… It was easy to take us out. They sealed us underground with a magical spell. To keep us from freeing ourselves, they force us to extract the determination from every newborn child and send it up to them through the pulley system.”

“We’re under a mountain, right?”

“Yes. Mt. Ebott.”

“And monsters who climb the mountain never return home.”

“Yes, but only one monster has climbed the mountain.” Frisk smiled sadly. “It’s more like whoever leaves the mountain never returns.”

“Tell us how humans leave the mountain.”

Frisk lovingly ran her fingers through the hair of the girl who was sitting in her lap. She was asleep now too. Frisk picked her up and tucked her into bed. The boy took the girl’s place in Frisk’s lap when she sat again.

“Every year, we have a festival to see if there is any child ages between eight and sixteen who has retained enough determination to cross through the barrier. You see, each human needs a certain amount of determination to keep them alive. We can’t extract it all from their bodies or else they will die. Some humans are born with more determination than most, thus they need more determination to live. Those humans can pass the barrier and go to the surface where the monsters live.” Frisk grabbed the hand of the second eldest. She gave him a comforting smile. She knew this part of the story could be hard for him. “They are sent to try to make peace with the monsters, but… So far, their efforts have been unsuccessful. We don’t know what has happened to them. Only seven humans have passed through the Barrier. Six are because of the festival.”

“Because the festival is new, right?”

“Yes, it is.”

“It started because of-“

Frisk gently shushed him. She didn’t want to speak of this part of the story. “You should go to sleep. It’s getting late.”

“Yeah, okay…” The boy allowed himself to be picked up. She gently placed him into his bed on the boy’s side of the room. She gave him a good night kiss on his forehead and wrapped his blanket around him.

“Good night, Brion.”

“Good night, Frisk. Thank you for the story.” He rolled over and was asleep within minutes.

Frisk began tapping the mushrooms to turn them off. She kept one lit and grabbed it from its holder. She took it over to the other two who were still sitting up on her bed.

“The Determination Festival is tomorrow, isn’t it?” the other girl asked.

Frisk nodded.

“Are you nervous?”

“Why would I be nervous?”

“One of us might get picked.”

The thought had crossed Frisk’s mind. “I know, but… I don’t think that will happen. There are so many other kids.”

“But what if it does?” the boy spoke up.

Frisk rested her hand on his shoulder. “It won’t. I won’t let that happen. We have to stick together.”

“I don’t want to lose any of you.” The girl began to cry. Frisk pulled her into a hug.

“It’s okay. I know. All we have is each other.”

The group were orphans, just a small group among many. Orphans weren’t rare in the underground. Their living conditions weren’t the best, so many lives were lost due to accidents or sicknesses. Humans were still trying to adapt to their environment. Frisk and the other children were only the third generation to live in the underground.

Life was hard for orphans in the underground. They were adopted very rarely since no family wanted to take on another mouth to feed or clothe. The orphanages did their best to care for the children but there was only so much they could do. Frisk was one of the lucky ones who had been admitted into one of the four orphanages in the underground. She had been able to form this strange family.

Frisk had been the first one in the group to be orphaned. She was the eldest by only a year, though she looked younger than she really was. She didn’t know what it was about her that made others think she was young. Her below average height was a likely factor, but it could also be her hairstyle. Her brown hair was cut almost to her shoulders. Her bangs were messy and looked a little uneven. Her brown eyes carried a youthful light, despite how much she’d had to mature. She had been five years old when her mother died from a sickness of unknown causes. Her father had never been in the picture. He had left shortly after her mother had become pregnant with her. Where he lived or the status of his life was a mystery. He hadn’t stepped up to claim her after her mother’s death.

Amin had been the next one. He was the second eldest at ten years old. He was due for a haircut because his dark brown hair was itching the back of his neck and strands kept falling into his face. His skin was slightly darker than Frisk’s olive tone. He had warm and calm brown eyes. He had come to join her at four years of age. His older sister, Anah, had been admitted with him but she had been chosen at the Determination Festival shortly after their arrival. Frisk hadn’t known her very well, but she had seemed like a very good big sister. Amin missed her greatly. His story was opposite to Frisk’s. He had no idea what had happened to his mom, but his dad had died from asphyxiation.

It had just been her and Amin for a year and then Donielle had joined them when she was four. She was nine years old and could easily be considered one of the middle children, but she acted older than her age for the most part. Unlike Amin and Frisk, she liked her to hair to be out of her face and as tidy as possible. Someone in the orphanage had taught her how to style her hair. She was always putting it up in a new style, but her favorite seemed to be braids. She had dark brown skin. Her brown eyes always glittered with a kind and strong light. She had lost both her parents in an accident when a tunnel collapsed. They had shielded her from the rubble with their bodies. She had been injured, both physically and mentally. She would sometimes break into spontaneous panic attacks. It would take everyone comforting her to calm her down.

The three of them had been together with no new additions for a year. Brion came alone at three years old. He was seven years now, and he liked to make it known how big he was. He had reddish brown hair that started out nice and straight but always ended looking like a ratty mess because of his wildness. Like all of the young ones in their group, Brion had very pale skin from the lack of sunlight. His eyes were hazel. Brion’s parents had died from the same sickness. He only had a few memories of his parents, but he never let their deaths bring him down. He seemed to have begun to believe Frisk was his mom.

Shiloh had come very shortly after Brion at around two years of age. She was about six years old now. She had very fine, light blonde hair with a bit of a wave. She liked when Frisk put it up in a ponytail. A splash of freckles dotted the area around her nose. Her blue eyes were gentle and friendly. They didn’t have much information about her past. She had been found abandoned near the orphanage. She didn’t even know what her birth name was. Shiloh, like Brion, also didn’t think about her birth parents much. Frisk and the others were her family.

The newest additions were the twins, Ezra and Ellis. They had only been with the group for a few months. They were about a year old. They were almost identical in appearance but would still be considered fraternal twins. Ezra was male, and Ellis was female. They both had black hair that didn’t seem to knot no matter what mess they got themselves into. The differences between them was their eye color. They both had been born with hazel eyes, but Ellis’ had changed to brown. Ezra’s had stayed hazel and didn’t look like they were going to change. Their mom died in childbirth. Their dad had chosen to give them up. They too would grow up believing Frisk and the rest were their family, assuming… they survived.

“Frisk… what if you’re picked this time?” Amin asked. “You evaded the past three festivals. We all know you’re going to be placed into one of the first groups to test it out this time. You’re chances are really high.”

“I know you’re both worried, but… Everything will be okay. I will try my hardest to keep us together.” Frisk pulled away from Donielle and wiped her tears away with her sleeve. She stood up and grabbed the other orphan's hands, pulling them to Donielle’s bed. She gently nudged the girl into her bed. “For now we should rest. It’s getting late and the caretaker is going to wake us up early tomorrow to get ready for the festival.”

Donielle nodded sluggishly and pulled the covers around her. “Good night.”

“Good night, Doni.” Frisk turned to Amin. He didn’t look like he was convinced or reassured. She guided him to his bed.

“Do I need to tuck you in too?” She asked with a grin. He answered by grumpily settling himself into his bed on his own.

“The elders say you’re the most determined human they’ve met since the fall. They said your determination could have rivaled some of the humans of the past. Lesser ones, they say... But that’s you with most of your determination extracted,” Amin said. He glanced over at the other sleeping forms and kept his tone low. “If you get the chance… you’re going to be able to go through the Barrier. You’ll be chosen.”

Frisk dropped her gaze, knowing she couldn’t argue with him. Her family and the elders had told her the same before. The only reason she hadn’t been chosen yet was because of the policies they had. The way the festival worked was kids were split into groups of five at random. The groups were numbered, starting from one. The first group always went first and then went down from there. Frisk had always gotten lucky and been placed in one of the later groups. A kid who was able to cross the Barrier had always been discovered before her group’s turn. Frisk and the kids all knew it was only a matter of time before she got a group that went closer to the beginning. They had a bad feeling about this time. All the people whispering about how determined Frisk was… They thought Frisk’s placement into a group was going to be rigged.

“We need you, Frisk.”

Frisk sighed. She accidently tapped on the mushroom and it’s light diminished, plunging them into pitch darkness. “I can’t run from my fate. If I am to be picked… It will happen. We will figure out what to do then.” Frisk tapped the mushroom again and looked up at Amin. The light on his face made his eyes appear to glow, just as she was sure her own eyes looked to him. The usual warmth from his eyes were gone, replaced by horror and fear. If she was chosen, he would hurt the most. She knew it. He had already lost one person he loved to this stupid festival.

She reached out and gave his cold fingers a reassuring squeeze. She said no words. Her gentle smile said enough for both of them. He was always the one she turned to when she was stressed or upset. She tried to be there for him when he needed stability.

“Good night, Frisk.”

“Good night, Amin.”

Frisk crossed the room to her bed. She set the mushroom on the bedside table and climbed into bed. She leaned over and turned off the last remaining light source. She listened to the sounds of everyone’s breathing. Only when she was certain they were all asleep did she curl up into a tiny ball. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, trying to keep her tears in. She said everything was going to be okay. She acted like she wasn’t worried. She did it for their sake, even though it wasn’t the truth.

She was scared.


	2. Chosen

The town square of the underground was bustling with life when Frisk and the others walked through. She held onto Brion and Shiloh’s hands. They excitedly pointed out the few vendors and entertainers. Brion and Shiloh were at an age when they could enjoy the Determination Festival. The kids under eight were the only ones who looked happy. For them, this day was exciting. Festivals and celebrations were very few. The only other holiday the humans had was Halloween, and the Determination Festival was steadily becoming more exciting. Celebrating Halloween was a hard thing to do underground when most humans were poor. Not everyone had food or candies they could pass out to kids they didn’t know. Frisk’s generation only heard stories of when the holiday had been at its peak.

Donielle and Amin trailing closely behind Frisk looked like they were walking under a storm cloud that was following them. Their shoulders both slumped, and their gazes wouldn’t leave the ground as they kicked dirt and rocks. Their misery was shared by many others. Parents were clinging onto their kids, knowing this might be the last time they saw them. Kids in the selected age range looked scared and nervous. A couple of the younger ones were crying. The older ones were trying to keep their faces set and emotionless. Frisk focused more on Brion and Shiloh. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to keep her smile up if she didn’t.

She listened to Shiloh and Brion when they talked about some of the stands and sights the babies would like. Ezra and Ellis had been left back at the orphanage. Despite what the two middle children were saying, they were too young to enjoy anything the festival brought. The eldest children didn’t need the task of taking care of them added on to their already busy day. They needed to focus on getting signed up to go to the Barrier and listen out for when it was their group’s turn.

“Frisk, Frisk! Look over there!” Shiloh pointed to a group of dancers who were dancing freestyle. There were also two singers and a couple people with buckets and other objects that served as percussion. “Can we go watch them? Please?”

“Sure, we have some time.”

Shiloh hopped happily and dragged Frisk towards the dancers. She and Brion’s eyes were sparkling. She could practically see the stars in them. Frisk watched the dancers for a little and laughed when Shiloh and Brion tried to copy their moves, tripping and stumbling over themselves. She glanced back over at Donielle and Amin. They looked like they were trying to smile, but they weren’t trying very hard.

“Guys, come on… I know this is hard, but let’s try to be happy for a little bit.” This might be the last day Frisk was able to enjoy her time and be with them.

Donielle nodded and finally smiled. She crouched down next to Shiloh. “I bet I can do that move,” she said, nodding her chin towards the dancers.

“Do it!”

“Okay.” Donielle pushed herself up. She watched one of the dancers and then held her hands out in a slanted position like they had done. She hopped and began to feel the beat and dance to it. She had never been given lessons, so she just did whatever felt right to please Shiloh and Brion. Frisk and the young ones began to clap and cheer.

Before the group knew it, the dancers had stopped. The crowd had begun to watch Donielle. She stopped when she noticed how much attention she gained.

“Keep going!” the dancers encouraged.

Donielle glanced over at Frisk and Amin.

“Go, Doni!” Frisk cheered.

“Yeah, keep going!” Amin agreed.

Shiloh and Brion hopped up and down. “Go, go! Doni, Doni!”

Donielle grinned and continued to dance. She twisted, hopped, spun, and tried to recall some of the moves the other dancers had done. There were a couple times she stumbled, but she always got back up and continued. The dancers joined her eventually.

Frisk and Amin shared a gleeful grin. It was very rare Donielle got the spotlight like this. She was normally content and preferred being in the shadows. The silent helper who was appreciated greatly but didn’t expect praise, though she was still given it often by Frisk.

The song ended. Donielle stayed in position for a moment and then let out a deep breath. She dashed back to Frisk and Amin. They held up their hands for high fives. She slapped them giddily. Shiloh and Brion surrounded her and told her how well she had done.

“That was really good!” one of the dancers said, coming up to her.

“Yeah! You’ve got talent!” another one said.

“If you ever want to dance again, you should get in touch,” the leader offered. “We give free dance lessons down in Waterfall on Saturdays.”

“Thank you!” She waved to the dancers when they went back to the mat they used as a stage. The musicians started up a new song, and the dancers moved to the beat.

“You did great, Doni! We’ve got to take up their offer on lessons to get you dancing,” Frisk said.

“I loved it! That felt amazing!” Donielle laughed.

The group started to walk through Town Square again. Brion stopped them after a few paces.

“Hey, can we get some of those?” He was staring at a pastry stand. The treats looked good, even though they were probably made of bugs or spiders.

Frisk jingled a few coins in her pocket. She took on odd jobs here and there to earn the money. She didn’t mind spending a little of it on Brion and Shiloh. She might not have any use for the money soon anyway. “We can get a few.”

“I’ll pay for them,” Amin said, stepping forward.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. Let’s go, Brion. We’ll get enough for everyone.”

Brion tagged alongside Amin eagerly. Frisk watched as Brion pointed out the ones he wanted. Amin passed his money to the stand keeper. The bag of goodies slid over to him. He handed them to Brion who ran to Shiloh.

“Shiloh! Here! I got your favorite!” The boy brought out a pastry drizzled with sticky icing and held it out for the girl.

“Yay! Thank you, Brion!” Shiloh nibbled on her desert, wanting to eat it slowly so she could savor it for longer.

“I got your favorite too, Doni!”

“Oh, thank you!” Donielle bit into the pastry Brion had handed her. A pudding-like substance oozed out of her treat. She closed her eyes and hummed happily.

“You get your favorite too, Frisk! I remembered!” Brion held out a pastry for Frisk. He looked very proud of himself.

“Thank you, Brion and Amin.” Frisk’s pastry had bits of apple baked in. They were real apples grown by humans. Monsters had given the humans enough mercy to send them down with modified crops that would grow underground. They also occasionally sent down other small objects: paper, flashlights, small household objects. This was part of the reason humanity held onto the hope they could have peace and friendship with monsters.

Brion gave Amin his pastry and then began to eat his. He and Shiloh were sticky messes by time they were finished. Frisk had the group make a stop at a well so she could wipe their hands and faces clean. They giggled the whole time she dabbed at them with a scrap of cloth that served as a napkin.

After they were clean, she knew it was time to go get assigned to their groups. She hated to ruin the happy moment, but it couldn’t be avoided. They would get in trouble if they didn’t sign up before the trips to the Barrier started.

Frisk led the group to the stand set up in the middle of the square. They waited in line and whispered amongst themselves. Frisk tried to make them laugh. She didn’t want Donielle and Amin to sink into the upset state they had started this festival with. Shiloh and Brion were watching the crying parents and kids with confused expressions.

Seeing all the fear and sorrow, Frisk was reminded how stupid this festival was. They had already been doing it for six years. Nothing had come of it. The kids who went up had not returned. No news had been given by the monsters of their fates. The kids were presumed to be dead. Killed by the monsters they had gone to try to create peace with. The festival should have been stopped after the second time, but it gave the people hope. Hope was something rare down here. Humans clung onto whatever would give hope to them, even if just for a brief moment.

The other problem Frisk saw with the festival was kids were the ones sent. Not capable adults. Kids who were still learning about their world. Frisk didn’t know many eight year olds who could defend themselves against a whole civilization of monsters. She didn’t know any at all, and it wasn’t because she didn’t know many eight year olds. She lived in an orphanage. She hung around many young children. Eight year olds weren’t ready to fight. They were still so young. They should be playing around and having fun like Shiloh and Brion. Frisk didn’t think kids ten or younger should be sent out, and the range should probably be pushed back to older teenagers. She was a little biased because of her own age. She liked to believe she was all grown up.

The reason people had for sending out kids so young was because they thought the monsters would spare them. This hadn’t proved to be true, but… It was all about hope. Everyone wanted to believe this would work eventually. There was also the prophecy and everything too… But Frisk thought that was a bunch of baloney.

“Names?” the supervisor asked when their turn came. He had his papers and pen ready.

“Frisk Mendoza.”

“Amin Rues.”

“Donielle Byrd.”

He peered at Brion. “How about him?”

Frisk pulled Brion closer towards her. “He’s only seven.”

The man stared at the boy a little longer and then shrugged. “Are you kids orphans?”

“Yes.”

“Which orphanage?”

“Alicia’s Orphanage.”

The man rustled through the papers, looking for the right page. He came to the page he was looking for and smoothed it. “Okay, I’ve got you guys right here. Frisk is eleven, Amin is ten, and Donielle is nine, correct?”

Frisk nodded.

“I’m going to tell you your group numbers. Don’t forget them. Donielle is in the seventh group, and Amin is in the ninth.” The man made a few check marks on his pad. “And Frisk is in… the first.”

“No!” Amin and Donielle cried at the same time.

Frisk felt her blood run cold. She took a deep breath and smiled. “Thank you. We will remember.”

“You’re going to go first. The trips to the Barrier will start in about 10 minutes. Groups will be called, so be sure to listen closely.”

“Okay, thank you.” Frisk nodded politely at the man and stepped out of the line.

“It’s rigged,” Amin growled. “It has to be rigged. We knew you were going to be in one of the earlier groups, but… What were the chances of Group One?”

“They placed you in the first group on purpose.” Donielle crossed her arms tightly.

Shiloh and Brion looked between the three older kids nervously.

“Guys, please, let’s not jump to conclusions.” Frisk held out her arms, hoping to calm Donielle and Amin down before they made the little ones upset.

“You’re going to be picked!” Amin shouted.

“We don’t know that yet.”

Amin also crossed his arms. Donielle raised her eyebrow.

“Frisk? What’s going to happen?” Brion tugged at Frisk’s purple t-shirt.

“What are you going to be picked for?” Shiloh asked. Her eyes were big with fear, telling Frisk the two younger kids already knew what she would possibly be picked for but wanted to hear from her to be certain.

Frisk gave Amin and Donielle stern glances. They instantly looked guilty. She sighed and knelt down in front of Shiloh and Brion. She placed a comforting hand on both of their shoulders before she spoke. “Amin and Doni are worried I will be picked to cross the Barrier.”

“I don’t want you to cross the Barrier!” Shiloh gripped onto Frisk’s hand.

“Me neither!” Brion cried.

“We don’t know if I’m going to be picked yet, and… If I am… I will try my hardest to get out of it. There will be other people who can cross the Barrier.” Frisk wasn’t fond of the idea of getting someone to replace her, but she knew how much the group needed her. She was the one who was supposed to take care of them. She wanted to stay with them. She would do what was best for them.

“Group One! Please begin to gather over here!”

Frisk glanced over at the speaker. She saw other kids give hugs to their family and friends and walk over to the meeting spot. She pulled Brion and Shiloh into a hug and then stood. “Stay with Amin and Donielle, okay?”

“Okay.”

“We will.”

Frisk gave Amin and Donielle a reassuring smile when she passed them. She was the last in the group of five to arrive, so they headed out to the Barrier as soon as she stepped into their midst.

* * *

Frisk took deep breaths. She tried to think about more positive things instead of her impending doom. She had never been to the Barrier before. She was a little curious about what it would look like. No one liked to speak of it. The kids had learned not to ask about the Barrier. The topic only made the elders upset and left them none the wiser. Kids who had seen the Barrier didn’t like to talk about it either, for as much as they blabbed about everything else. There was something about the Barrier that spooked everyone who saw it into complete and utter silence. Frisk’s orphan group had been forced to come up with what the Barrier would be like using their imagination. They also used the name as a clue. They were all guessing it was some sort of force field. The good from this was they were finally going to find out what the Barrier looked like.

As they got closer to the Barrier, signs of human civilization dwindled down. Barely anyone wanted to live close to the Barrier. There were three big areas where humans called home in the underground. There was where Frisk lived, near the hole to the underground where jars of determination were sent up. This was where the orphanages were located. People with families commonly made this area their home. They literally called it Home. The area had a better official name, but everyone had just taken to calling it Home. The homes were a mixture of caverns and actual houses built out of stone. Some people lived just in the caverns with a door installed for privacy, others had a real house, most people had a mix of the two. The orphanage Frisk lived in was the latter. The orphanage rooms were small caves with the main living area built around them in the form of a traditional house.

The next area was the Town Square, just a short walk from Frisk’s home. The Town Square was the most built up of the underground, but not as many people lived there. Town Square was where people had their business stands. The people who lived here did not live in caverns. They had small, one room houses. Town Square was where Town Hall was located, or Main Hall as a lot of people had taken to calling it now. Main Hall was where the Leader lived and did their work. The elders also lived there.

Past the Town Square was a beautiful place filled with the mushrooms they used for lighting as well as flowers that also glowed slightly and repeated what people said. They were called Echo Flowers, and they were Frisk’s favorite. She liked to whisper compliments and good things into them to lift someone’s spirits. There were waterfalls everywhere, which had earned it the not so clever name of Waterfall. Only a few people called this area their home because of how wet the place could get. Kids and teenagers had made Waterfall their hang out. They were always bustling about and having fun.

After Waterfall was the last big housing spot for humans, and was similar to where Frisk lived housing wise. People with older kids often lived here. This was where a lot of cave-ins happened. There were spots where the ground came out from underneath someone and steep drops if one wasn’t watching where they were going. The Town Square was very important to humans, but this last area had been named the Core because farmers lived there and tended to the livestock and crops.

The Core was the last spot with a large human population. There were a few small side caverns and nooks some people lived in. These were the people who were very poor. A lot of aged out orphans ended up here or families who had lost their work. They had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do aside from tending to livestock or plants they either stole or earned enough money to buy. Out of all the underground, the people here were the ones who had the least hope. They watched dolefully as the kids passed by them.

The guide stopped them just outside a cavern with a wooden gate blocking the entrance. “You will discover if you’re not able to cross the Barrier very quickly. It may seem scary at first and the magic may make your head hurt and your stomach sick,” she warned them. “But everything is going to be okay. None of you are going to die.” Her gaze raised to the ceiling. There must have been many kids who had panic attacks in the past.

She waited until each kid had nodded their understanding, and then she ushered the kids into the cavern. She was patient when they stopped and gawked at the magic spell that kept them from leaving. It wasn’t a force field like the orphan kids had thought. The Barrier looked like a long hallway. None of them could see the ending.

The other kids grew nervous and took steps backwards. Frisk felt like the Barrier was compelling her to come forward. She could feel the magic of the Barrier touching her and prickling her skin. Something inside of her chest pulsed in reaction. She stared at the Barrier mesmerized. She thought… If she got closer… She might be able to see the outside… She shook her head and hurried to place herself in the back of the line.

“First in line, go. Just walk down into the Barrier.” The guide pushed the first kid towards the Barrier. He slowly dragged his feet forward. He made it a few feet inside and then disappeared. The other kids screamed until he popped back into existence by the guide. His eyes were wide, and his face was very pale. He looked like he was about to throw up all over his shoes. The guide silently handed him a tin cup of water and instructed him to sit down. She waved the next kid to go on.

Something similar happened to each of the other kids. Some of them disappeared and appeared next to the guide while others were pushed back like they had been hit with a strong gust of wind. Either way, they all ended up seated on the ground with a tin cup of water looking like they were going to puke. None of them were able to cross the Barrier. Frisk was the last person in the group to try. She felt her stomach roil. She didn’t want to be the one picked.

“Go ahead.”

Frisk didn’t have a choice. She exhaled slowly and stood up straight. She wasn’t going to act fearful like the other kids. She was going to face her fate head on.

She walked into the Barrier. She instantly felt something fighting against her, trying to push her back. She could also feel something beckoning her, welcoming her forwards. Added to that, something burned inside of her and told her to go forward, not to let herself be stopped by the magic. She grunted and pushed forward. She didn’t want to get picked, but she sure wasn’t going to allow herself to be defeated by this invisible force.

“Stop!” the guide shouted.

Frisk instantly froze and turned around. She was in the Barrier. She hadn’t been pushed or brought back to the group. The other kids were watching her with their mouths open. The woman nodded.

“Come back.”

Frisk felt a fist grab her heart and squeeze. She ran back to the group. “I don’t know… I didn’t…”

“You can cross the Barrier. You’ve been picked this year.” The woman turned her heel suddenly and walked out of the cavern. The kids glanced at each other and then stood to follow the woman. They shot Frisk pitying glances when they passed. She didn’t notice any of them. She stood frozen in place. The woman had to shout for her before she could move.

The walk back to the village felt short for Frisk. She was too into her thoughts to notice the length. She didn’t know how she was going to get out of this. She was sure the leader would laugh in her face when she said she couldn’t go to the surface and a replacement had to be discovered. She would be asking for a lot with her request.

Moments after they arrived back in the middle of Town Square, she heard someone with a booming voice make an announcement. “Frisk Mendoza has been chosen to cross the Barrier and deliver our message of peace to the monsters!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I tried to show, this underground is different from the canon underground. Humans don't have magic, so I find it very hard to believe there could be snow, trees (aside from their modified crops), and advanced buildings. Waterfall (and the Barrier) is the only spot that is pretty much the same as in the game, except there aren't any puzzles.


	3. The Prophecy

Frisk didn’t have time to seek out Amin, Donielle, Brion, and Shiloh to tell them not to freak out no matter what they wanted to do. She was ushered away to Main Hall as soon as the announcement was called. Important preparations had to be made, she was informed by a group of officials designated to help her. She tried telling them she had family she needed to speak to, but they told her she could do so when they were finished. They were bossy.

The preparations started with fitting her into a ceremonial outfit. They wanted her to wear stripes because apparently it would tell the monsters she was a kid. All monster kids wore stripes. She chose a purple sweater with blue stripes. They gave her a new pair of brown shorts with purple leggings to wear underneath if needed. They also found a puffy coat and striped t-shirt and folded the articles in a bag for her to take with her. The last clothing item they presented her were brown boots.

They told her they wanted her to be ready for any weather up there. Humans had no way to keep track of the weather on the surface. The temperature and weather was always the same in the underground. They had no fall, winter, or spring seasons. The underground was always end of summer weather. It wasn’t insufferably hot, but the heat still was lingering. The only place with a temperature difference was when they travelled further below ground. Then it became insufferably hot. The only area with a weather difference was Waterfall. The spray coming from the waterfalls felt like what rain might be.

Frisk kept trying to see the good in everything that was happening, but it was getting harder, if she were being completely honest. The new outfit was very good. The orphanage clothes she owned weren’t the best. They were worn hand me downs. A lot of her outfits were itchy, which was why she preferred her t-shirts over anything. The clothes these people were giving her were of very good quality. She only wished she could give them to Donielle or one of the orphan kids instead. She wanted them to have the comfortable clothes more than she wanted them for herself.

They offered her another object after the clothing: a wooden staff. The wood was smooth to touch. Simple carvings had been engraved into it. The workmanship was well done. Frisk admired it for a few seconds before questioning why she needed it. Their response was she could use the staff to defend herself if needed, but monsters wouldn’t think she had a weapon in her possession. They would look at it and see a stick. It probably was just a stick in comparison to their magic, but Frisk wouldn’t look gift horses in the mouth. She thanked them anyway.

They then began to teach her some basic diplomat skills. They told her what she should say and do when she arrived at the kingdom. She appreciated them speaking to her like reaching the monster kingdom was a given. She didn’t want to think about her future death too much. She patiently listened to them and tried to remember everything they told her. There was a lot. All the information cramming itself into her head made her feel dizzy. She was glad when they were finally finished.

“Do you have any questions?”

“I want to see Leader Fritz,” Frisk said. “I think there has been a mistake.”

The adults gave her confused and uncertain glances. One of them, a young female, nodded. “He wanted to speak with you anyway. Follow me please.”

Frisk slipped off the chair she had been seated in. She followed the woman out of the room and down a hallway. The woman turned a corner and stopped outside a door. She knocked. “I have brought Frisk like you asked.”

“She may come in,” a voice called.

The woman opened the door and gestured for Frisk to walk in. Frisk thanked her and turned to the man sitting at his desk. She bowed her head in respect. “Leader Fritz,” she greeted. Their leader was a man in his late forties. His hair was grey, with only a few streaks of the original brown color. He had a beard kept neat. His blue eyes were kind. He looked like he could easily be someone’s grandpa. He would have been if his daughter hadn’t died in an accident... He was old by their standards currently. There were only three elders who were so old they had spent their early childhood up on the surface. Aside from them, Leader Fritz was one of the oldest in their civilization.

“Frisk. You may sit down.” He inclined his head towards a chair at his desk. She was slow to take a seat. She had never been in the leader’s office before. The only time she went to the Main Hall was when she and her group wanted to visit the elders. She remembered being told how organized and tidy the leaders were with their stuff, but that had been when a different leader was in charge. As it turned out, Leader Fritz was no different. His office was well kept.

“You seem concerned about something. Care to share?”

 _Well… I am about to go up to my death._ Frisk lowered her head. She needed to be respectful. She was about to step way out of her boundaries. “I think a mistake has been made. I don’t think I can do this. You should pick someone else.”

“Oh?”

“I can’t go up there. I’m needed here.”

The man sighed. “I have heard a good deal about you, Frisk. The people speak of you often. Did you know that?”

“For the Determination Festival? Yes.”

“I mean outside of the Determination Festival. On a regular day.”

Frisk shook her head. She knew the elders spoke about her often. Amin had told her, and the elders weren’t exactly quiet when they gossiped. She wasn’t aware about anyone else, but she wasn’t surprised if people had conversations about her. She was given a lot of stares when she traversed through the underground.

“Yes, they do. We aren’t having any competitions for who has had the hardest life, but you have had a very hard one. You never knew your father. You lost your siblings at a young age. Your mother died shortly after. You were sent to an orphanage.”

He’s done his research. Although, she had to admit, her family and their past was very well-known. Her family had been closely connected with the last leader, Leader Natalia. Leader Fritz would have to be ignorant not to know about her family. She wondered where he was trying to get at with bringing up these hard topics for her.

“And yet… you never let this bring you down. We have seen how you act. You run around town with the family you formed. You take care of them. You stay strong for them. You’re very determined… Something not many of us can say. None really.” Leader Fritz watched her. She peeked up at him once quickly and then looked back down at her hands.

“The other orphans are why I have come to speak to you.” Frisk made the promise she would do what she could to get out of this. She was going to keep her promise. “They need me. If I go… I will never return, and I don’t know what will happen to them. I don’t think I will be able to focus on my task, so someone with a clearer head should go in my stead. They’d have a better chance.”

Leader Fritz pursued his lips. “Recently, a prophecy has begun to pass around. They say a sorcerer child with great amounts of determination will rise to the surface and then descend… and free us all. Have you heard of that prophecy?”

“Yes, I have.” She didn’t know why this was a question. Of course she had heard the prophecy.

“I believe you are the one from the prophecy. The one who will free us.”

Frisk almost laughed. She barely managed to keep a straight face. “I’m sorry, but… I’m not a sorcerer. And sure… I have enough determination to cross the Barrier, but… I’m not anyone special. I think you have the wrong person.”

“Yes, so you say. I’m not the only one who believes this, Frisk. People meet you and see hope. They think you are the child from the prophecy too. You are a very special child. And you’re not a sorcerer yet. Your trip to the surface might change you. I believe you will return.”

Frisk had been completely unaware the people thought of her in this way. She didn’t think she was anyone special. She was just… Frisk Mendoza the orphan. Never in her life had she thought she would be sitting in front of their leader, while he watched her with hope and blatantly told her he believed she was, indeed, special.

She knew she wasn’t going to be able to convince him that she wasn’t special, so she tried a different tactic. “I mean no disrespect, sir, but you have an awful lot of trust in the prophecy. You send kids out to the surface. They are killed. Their families are devastated. Why do we even continue the tradition of this festival?”

Leader Fritz tapped his fingers against the desk in a calm and rhythmic way. “Frisk, I do not ignore or forget that I sent six children to their death. Sometimes I feel like I was the one who killed them. But the festival gives people hope, and I have to keep feeding that hope so the human race doesn’t die off completely. It’s a false hope, but it’s a hope regardless.”

Frisk felt bad for bringing this up because of the way his shoulders slumped with an invisible weight. She could argue against his response, but she decided to let it drop.

She had only one more card to throw out there. She didn’t know what she would do if this didn’t work. “People were certain the first human who left would free us. They spoke about how special they were and how much hope they brought.” Frisk’s fingers clenched in her lap. She struggled to keep her tone even. “I’m sure Leader Natalia said something similar about them, but they never returned.”

This made Leader Fritz pause and think carefully about what he should say. The silence stretched out between them. Frisk bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from smiling. She might have done it. She might have made him understand…

“I’m confident you will be the child from the prophecy. You will be the last child sent to the surface. I will not allow another Determination Festival.”

“I can’t,” she sighed. He was right when he said she was determined. She didn’t think she had much of a chance getting out of this. He could force her to do it. She wouldn’t be able to fight against a direct order, but she was going to try anyway.

Leader Fritz seemed able to read her mind. “I’m not going to force you to go. You need to make this decision on your own. I understand this is an unfair decision for someone your age to make, but will you listen to me for just a little longer?”

He was asking. He was giving Frisk the choice to shake her head and walk out of the room. She almost did. She started to stand and then sat right back down. “Okay.” She wouldn’t be rude. She had a choice now. Leader Fritz was talking to her with the respect he might give an adult. Something about that made her want to listen to what he had to say. She didn’t want to make the wrong choice.

“Thank you.” Leader Fitz took a breath. “Our people are getting sicker. Our lifespans are short in comparison to what they once were. Most of our children are born weak and unhealthy. Many don’t make it past their first birthday. We’ve been finding now that the ones do survive are sickly. We’re trying, but our living conditions are only getting worse. Not better.”

Frisk swallowed slowly. Her mind went to Ezra and Ellis. She had noticed that the twins didn’t have as much energy as they should have at their age. They slept often. They ate little. They weren’t the healthiest beings because of the conditions they lived in.

“Kids your generation are lucky if they make it to adulthood. They’re even luckier if they make it and have parents. The human race is dying out.” His tone made her finally look up to meet his eyes. “We were never supposed to live underground like this. We need to be up on the surface… But we’re losing hope. And…” He trailed off.

“And I’m one of the few hopes you have,” Frisk spoke up.

“You are the only real hope we have,” Leader Fritz corrected. “Your family has always been the only hope we’ve had.”

“If I go,” Frisk started, her voice shaky. “I want to know that my group will be taken care of. They don’t need to be treated more special than others, but I want them to have enough food and clothes. I want to know someone will look after them while I’m gone.”

“Of course. I give my word… They can come live with me.”

“Then I will go,” Frisk whispered. They were going to be disappointed in her. She had promised she would do whatever it took to get out of going to the surface. Leader Fritz was giving her a choice. She was choosing to leave them. She hoped they would understand eventually. She was doing this for them. She wanted Ezra and Ellis to get stronger. She wanted them all to have the freedom to do what they wanted and loved. She wanted them to live long and good, healthy lives where they were supposed to be up on the surface.

 _I finally understand… I finally understand why…_ Frisk shut her eyes. She wasn’t going to cry. Not after she made this grown up decision.

A firm hand was placed on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked into Leader Fritz’s sad ones. “I am sorry you had to make this decision. You’re right that it’s wrong to send children up there, but we don’t know what else to do. We’re all lost.”

“I know. I’ll try my best.”

“Thank you, Frisk. You have my gratitude and the gratitude of the human race as a whole.” Leader Fritz stood up. He crossed the room and opened the door for her. “I will not keep you any longer. You may go home and tell your group what will happen. Someone will come to pick you up tomorrow in the morning to make sure you get to Town Square safely.”

Frisk stood and walked to the door. “Can I ask a question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Was…” Frisk felt herself hesitate. She was going to ask a question that might be overstepping just a little. “Was my group position rigged?”

Leader Fritz didn’t give anything away. “Would knowing the answer change anything for you?”

Frisk thought about it for a moment. She had told Amin the other day that she couldn’t run from her fate. This, being picked, was always supposed to happen. Leader Fritz had told her she was being given the freedom to choose what she wanted. She thought she’d had a choice, but she really hadn’t. What she had was the illusion of choice. When it came to fate, her path was already laid out for her. Her only option was to push through and endure whatever was tossed at her.

“No. I guess it wouldn’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to keep to a weekly updating schedule, but I decided to post this chapter early.


	4. Hard Choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the last one were originally going to be one chapter, but it made more sense for them to be two. I split them and decided to post them in the same week.

Chaos ensued as soon as Frisk stepped back into her group’s room. Two little figures barreled into her, nearly knocking her down. She leaned against the dirt wall and regained her balance. She held onto the tray of food she was carrying even tighter. She had stopped by the kitchen for their dinner before going to her room, knowing the group wouldn’t be in the mood to eat in the crowded and loud dining room. She thought they would all appreciate the quiet, and she wanted to be able to give them what they needed to feel better. She hated to see them sad and upset. She had even been able to sneak some juice for a treat. She knew they would need it.

They had a lot to talk about it, and most of it wasn’t good. One of their worst nightmares was happening. Frisk and her group had always believed they would stick together. They would either be all adopted together, or Frisk would age out and adopt them all. Now, the one who kept them together and took care of them was being ripped away from them. Frisk had felt like the ground underneath her had shifted, but they felt like the ground was giving out from under them.

Shiloh and Brion were both sobbing and babbling incoherently. They clung onto her tightly. Sleepy eyed Ezra and Ellis became bothered by their noise and started crying. This was not how they wanted to be woken up from their nap. Amin and Donielle jumped up from their beds and rushed over to her.

“I told you this would happen!” Amin said. He stomped his foot on the dirt floor. A small cloud of dust flew into the air.

“What happened? What’s going to happen?” Donielle tugged at her braids. “Did you get out of it? Are you going to get out of it? Are they going to pick someone else?”

“You’re going to leave us!”

Shiloh and Brion cried louder. “We don’t want Frisk to leave!”

Ezra and Ellis’ cries rose in pitch and volume. No one was taking care of them!

Frisk’s head spun from all the noise they were making. She closed her eyes and took a couple deep breaths. “Donielle, please take the tray from me.” She kept her voice level and loud enough to be heard over them.

Donielle held her breath to stop her tornado of questions and did what Frisk ordered. She set the tray on the bedside table next to Frisk’s bed. She sat down at the foot of the bed and stayed silent, chewing on the ends of one of her braid. She didn’t want to continue adding to the chaos Frisk was trying to remedy.

Frisk picked up Shiloh and moved the small girl onto her hip so she could hold her with one arm. “Amin, stop shouting. You’re making Shiloh and Brion upset. Go get the babies.” Frisk grabbed Brion’s hand.

Amin pressed his lips together. He nodded curtly and turn on his heel. He picked up Ezra in one arm and Ellis in the other. He strode to Frisk’s bed and sat down next to Donielle. He also stayed silent but showed his discontent by constantly glaring at Frisk.

She ignored him and led Brion to the bed as well. She sat on top of her pillow and allowed Brion and Shiloh to crawl into her lap. “Please stop crying. It’s going to be okay,” she murmured. “Brion, I need you to be brave right now and calm down.”

“I don’t want you to leave.”

“I know, but I just need you to be brave. Can you do that for me and Shiloh?”

Brion sniffled. He lifted his head and nodded. “Okay.” He moved out of her lap and sat next to her. “I’m brave.” He still held onto her hand tightly. He didn’t show any signs of letting go.

“You are,” Frisk agreed. Asking Brion to be brave for his adopted family members always worked.

She had three more little kids left to soothe now, since Amin was not helping calm the twins down. She rubbed Shiloh’s back. “Shiloh, I brought you some juice. I’ll give you some when you calm down.” The little girl continued to cry. “I know you’re scared and sad. That’s okay. You can cry right now and tell me what’s wrong when you’re done.”

Shiloh didn’t wait until she was done crying. She spoke right away. “Y-you’re g-going t-to l-leave u-us.”

Frisk felt Amin’s gaze piercing into her. He was waiting to see if she would deny what Shiloh said. She couldn’t. “It’s going to be okay. You’ve got to trust me.”

“I-I want y-you to stay.” Shiloh was slowly calming down. She hiccupped and huffed softly but stopped sobbing.

“I know.” Frisk continued rubbing Shiloh’s back until she had quieted completely. Frisk set the girl next to her. She held out her arms for Ezra and Ellis. Amin leaned over Brion and dropped the twins into her arms. She cooed to the crying babies and wiped their snotty faces. They were unaware of Frisk’s bad fate and only needed to be comforted. They stopped crying after she had taken care of their needs. She slipped off her bed and placed them on the ground. They crawled to their toys and began to play by waving them wildly, tossing them around, and putting them into their mouths. She would feed them in a moment.

She grabbed two plates of food and passed them to Shiloh and Brion. She made sure to fill up their cups with the juice she had snuck. A small light of happiness entered Shiloh’s eyes when she was given the juice. Frisk gave Donielle and Amin their plates too, but they only pushed their food around with their forks. She grabbed a bowl filled with the twin’s food, oatmeal, and sunk to the ground.

She waved a spoon in front of Ellis. The toddler tossed her chew toy to the side and put the spoon in her mouth.

“What’s going on Frisk?” Amin asked. He sighed dejectedly and shoved his plate of food away from him. “You’ve been gone ever since they made the announcement that…” He glanced over at Shiloh and Brion who were now both contentedly eating their food. He jerked his head down to the ground next to Frisk. Donielle nodded. She grabbed the other bowl of oatmeal so she could feed Ezra. Donielle and Amin sat on either side of Frisk. They lowered their voices to a whisper so Shiloh and Brion couldn’t hear. They didn’t want the kids to get into another crying fit. One glance at Frisk showed she was tired and didn’t want to deal with it.

“Were you able to get out of going to the surface?” Donielle asked. The hope in her voice hurt Frisk.

“No. I’m going to the surface.”

“Did you even try?” Amin asked. Anger soared back into him. His voice was so full of venom that he made Frisk wince. His words stung in a different way than Donielle's.

“I did… Of course I did…” Frisk twirled the baby sized spoon. Ellis finished eating her food. She crawled off Frisk’s lap and began to play with one of her toys again. She had just been reenergized from a nap. “Do you think I want to leave?” Frisk tried not to speak too harshly to Amin. He was hurting so much from this. He had already lost a big sister because of the Determination Festival. Now he was losing another.

“I don’t know. How do I know you don’t want to go after your real siblings? And then go be with your mom?”

“What is wrong with you? Why would I want to go after the dead? And… Do you think I want to die?” Frisk couldn’t keep herself from glaring at Amin. She could have handled anything else he said, but she would not tolerate him bringing her deceased family into this. “Why would you-“

“How are we going to tell Shiloh and Brion?” Donielle cut in. She didn’t like where this argument was headed. The last thing the group needed was for Frisk and Amin to start a shouting match.

All irritation left Frisk, leaving her with weariness. She rubbed her face and groaned. “We tell them like it is. There’s no point hiding it from them. They already know anyway. I’m leaving tomorrow, so it’s not like it can be this big secret for a few months. It’s better to console them now than tomorrow when I need to go.”

“Yeah, you’re going to have an early day. Better take care of it now than later, right?” Donielle rested a hand on Frisk’s shoulder. Ezra finished eating and crawled to his sister. They fought over a toy. Their fight didn’t last long. They both decided at the same time they were too tired to deal with it. They laid down on the ground next to each other and fell asleep.

Frisk tore her gaze from the twins and made a mental note to tuck them into their beds later. She smiled at Donielle. She was reminded for the umpteenth time that week how much she appreciated the younger girl.

The two middle kids had finished eating and were watched the older ones with curiosity. Frisk beckoned them over. They exchanged scared glances. Shiloh, who was closer to the tray, grabbed Brion’s dirty dish. The metal of the tray clinked when she put their plates back on top. She did so in a slow, reluctant way. She stared at the tray as if mesmerized until Brion grew impatient and nudged her towards the older kids.

“Frisk? Were you really picked to leave the mountain?” Brion asked. He held onto Shiloh’s hand.

“Yes, I was,” Frisk replied.

“When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

“Oh…” Tears filled both Brion and Shiloh’s eyes.

“But that means you’ll never return,” Shiloh whimpered.

“No.” Frisk looked at the two children seriously. “No. That’s not what that means. Maybe the other kids never returned, but I will do my best to survive and complete my mission. I will never give up. I can’t promise you that I will return, but I can promise that I will try my hardest to come back to you guys. Everything will be okay.”

The two kids stared at her without making a peep.

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” Shiloh whispered. “You always keep your promises.”

“And you’re super tough!” Brion added, still trying to stay strong for Shiloh. “If anyone can survive the surface and monsters, it’s Frisk!”

“She sure can!” Donielle agreed.

“She sure can!” Shiloh repeated, clapping her hands together.

Frisk smiled at the two younger kids. They had taken it better than she thought they would, and she was relieved for it. She wasn’t very worried about Donielle either. One look at her told Frisk Donielle trusted her. She was as sure as Shiloh and Brion that Frisk would come back.

“I’m just going to miss you while you’re gone.” Shiloh looked down at the floor sadly.

“Yeah, me too.” The smile faded from Brion’s face.

“I’m going to miss you all too, but...” Frisk needed to do something to cheer up the mood. She didn’t want her potential last moments with them to be ones were they moped around and spoke about how sorry they all felt. “How about we play a game until bedtime? You two can choose what we play.”

“Oh, yeah!”

“I want to play a game!”

Frisk sighed happily when the energetic Brion and Shiloh she knew so well came back. She watched them go back and forth with game ideas. A grin lit her face when Donielle joined them. They were all going to be okay.

 _Well…_ She noticed Amin was still upset. He gave her a quick angry glance and left the room. Their argument was still heavy over them. _Most of them will be okay…_

* * *

Like the previous night, Frisk wandered around the room with a mushroom and tucked Shiloh, Brion, and Donielle in. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. She was going to have to wake up early. She needed to head to bed. She passed Amin’s bed and noticed him curled up under the covers. She barely noticed how the covers shook in the dim light, but it was still clear to her that he was crying. She knew him well. She had known him longer than she had gotten to know her real siblings.

She sighed and crawled onto his bed. She placed the mushroom on his bedside table. She sat down on top of the covers and waited for him to acknowledge her. She remembered how they used to sleep together when they were younger. After losing his sister, he would cry himself to sleep. Frisk always heard him, and eventually got the courage to see if he was okay. She knew a thing or two about how it felt to lose family. She had still been hurting over her family... She was still hurting, but… Frisk and Amin had ended up comforting each other during those hard nights. They didn’t sleep together anymore. Amin complained about how much of the bed Frisk took up, and she always woke up cold because he stole the blanket. Frisk still went to Amin on bad days and sat with him until he fell asleep. Amin did the same for her.

Amin uncurled slowly. Frisk rested her hand on his back. She didn’t say a word. She didn’t know what he wanted. He might be happy with the comfort of her being near or he might want to talk things out with her. She desperately wanted to talk with him and reconcile, but he was the one who should speak first. She was going to let him.

He inhaled deeply and shakily. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t have brought up your siblings like I did. That was wrong.”

“I forgive you. We were both upset.” She didn’t want her last memory with Amin to be one filled with anger.

“I still shouldn’t have acted like that.”

“I still forgive you.” A faint smile played on Frisk’s lips. Her voice had an edge of playfulness. She knew Amin could talk about how wrong he had been for hours and be told he was forgiven a hundred times and still not be satisfied. He hated hurting others. He felt so guilty afterwards.

“Tell me what happened. I won’t get mad this time. Did he force you to go?”

Frisk closed her eyes. “He didn’t,” she breathed. She foolishly hoped Amin wouldn’t hear her answer. Emphasis on foolishly. They were right next to each other. He was listening carefully. She could hope as much as she wanted. He would hear whatever she said. “He gave me a choice.”

Amin stiffened. “You chose to go.” She heard the slow breaths Amin took to keep himself calm. His voice didn’t come out angry when he finally spoke but hurt. “Why? Why would you choose to go? Why would you choose to leave us?”

“Remember the prophecy?”

“Yeah.”

“He thinks I’m the one from the prophecy.” The words sounded ridiculous as soon as they left Frisk’s mouth. She felt her face heat.

His silence made her feel worse.

“But you’re not a sorcerer,” he said eventually. She was relieved he didn’t call her stupid or say anything that made her feel worse. His words were rational, something she appreciated. She had pointed out the same fact.

“I know.”

“Then…”

“He said I give people hope.”

“Well… that’s true.”

“And he told me the human population was dying.”

“Oh… Now I get it.” Amin sat up and leaned against the metal headboard. “You’re going for us.”

He understood. She knew he would sooner than later. He knew her well. He had known her longer than he had gotten to know his real sister. “Yes.”

“Okay.”

“You’re not angry?”

“No… I’m just… sad and scared… I… I don’t want to lose another sister.”

Frisk sought for his hand under the covers. She curled her fingers around his when she found it. “I’m not going to ever stop fighting. I’m going to do my best to come home.”

“I know… I know you are…” Amin squeezed her fingers. “You know… I don’t think it’s that farfetched to say you’re the child from the prophecy.”

“I do.”

Amin laughed. “You would say that.”

Frisk didn’t know how to respond to him.

“How do you feel?” Amin asked. “We’ve been too busy worried about us needing and missing you that we never asked how you feel. We never thought to be worried about you… But now I am… Are you okay?”

“I’m…” Frisk considered telling him she was fine. She disregarded the thought as soon as it floated into her head. He would know she was lying. “I’m scared.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I don’t want to leave.”

Amin moved to wrap his arm around Frisk. She rested her head on his shoulder.

“I’m going to try hard to make peace and come back and free everyone, but… they never return. None of them. This could end horribly.” Frisk couldn’t hold her tears back. “All I can think about is if this does end badly. You all will be stuck down here and… and…” She was unable to finish her thoughts. She had to bite down on her lip to keep from sobbing while she cried. Amin let her cry. He didn’t speak until she had calmed down.

“Hey… do you remember what you always used to say?”

“About hard choices?”

“Yeah. How’d you say it again?”

“You can’t regret hard choices your whole life.” Frisk felt Amin’s shoulders raise when he yawned. She yawned shortly after him. Yawns were very infectious. 

“You had to make a hard choice. No matter what happens, I don’t want you to regret it. We’re going to be okay… And so are you… Just follow your fate, and I believe everything will turn out fine. We all believe in you.”


	5. Following Fate

Frisk shifted the bag strapped to her back for the hundredth time. She tried hard not to look at the crowd beginning to gather around. They were all here to see her off. She could see the hope glittering in their eyes.

 _This is the one_ , they all seemed to be thinking. _She’s going to be the one to free us all._ She only hoped she wouldn’t disappoint them. She wouldn’t be given much time to free them all either. They would give her a month and then declare her dead. They had done so with the other six children. None of them knew how long the trip to the monster kingdom was. They didn’t know if it a long journey or right next to the mountain, but they figured they should be given some type of news within a month. Frisk thought finishing her mission in a month sounded reasonable. It sounded like plenty of time to her. She was doing something seriously wrong on her journey if she hadn’t been killed or freed the humans by a month. There should be no complications to her journey that would cause a month to pass with no outcome.

Leader Fritz walked up to Frisk. He somehow looked more tired today than he did yesterday. She wondered if she looked as disheveled as him. “It’s almost time,” he said. “You should say your farewells to your group if you haven’t already.”

“Okay.” Frisk looked behind her where the orphans stood lined side by side. They were watching her closely. They had their bags packed too. The caretaker had given them the news they would be moving in with Leader Fritz this morning when she woke them up. Frisk had forgotten to tell them yesterday in all the craziness. She hid her grin as she thought about the reactions. Their mouths had dropped open. They had all given her a betrayed look, not understanding why she hadn’t told them the news the day before.

Leader Fritz wasn’t adopting them. He told the caretaker this was a trial to see if they were a good match, and the kids all assumed he would give them back once Frisk freed the humans. It was close enough to adoption for them to get excited. Their happiness had been dampened when they remembered Frisk wouldn’t be coming with them.

She turned to face them. “I have something I want to tell each of you.” Frisk knelt down by Shiloh first.

The girl shoved something into Frisk’s hands. “You’ll need these for your trip!” She bounced back and forth, and her dress swayed with her. “I stole them from the storage room. Don’t tell Ms. Alicia, please.”

Frisk held up the object Shiloh gave her. They were bandages. She smiled and tucked them away safely in one of the pockets in her backpack. The container fit perfectly into the smallest pocket on the side. Her backpack was already stuffed with supplies. She had been given enough food to last her a few days, a jug for water, a sleeping mat, a fire starter, and a few other essentials she might need for her trip. “Thank you, Shiloh. I probably will need these. You shouldn’t steal, but I won’t tell Ms. Alicia. This will be our secret.”

The little girl grinned and ran into Frisk for a hug. “You’re welcome!”

“Shiloh, I want you to never lose your sweetness and gentleness, okay? No matter what happens.”

“Okay!”

“And make sure to always listen to Amin and the others.”

“I will, Frisk!”

“Good. I’ll miss you so much.”

“I’ll miss you too!” Shiloh was being brighter than Frisk had thought she would be. She almost grew suspicious. Almost. She realized this interaction showed how much Shiloh was trusting her. Frisk said she would come home. Shiloh didn’t doubt her. That unwavering trust this little girl was giving her… Frisk was worried she would fail her.

Shiloh grabbed her hand. She wasn’t finished speaking. “I’ll always wait for you to return,” she said, solemnly. “Even if it takes forever!” She held her free arm out to show how long forever was, stretching the tips of her fingers as far as they would go. She released Frisk’s hand so the older girl could move on to Brion.

“I’ll be brave!” Brion said, barreling into Frisk and pulling her into a very tight hug.

“I know you will. You’ve always been so brave.” Frisk ruffled his hair. He had told her exactly what she wanted to hear. The group would need him to be brave, just as much as they needed Shiloh’s good qualities. “Remember what happened when you were four years old in Waterfall?”

“Yeah! Those big meanies in Waterfall tried to bully you, and I told them to beat it. I scared them away too.”

“Yeah. I was so proud of you. You protected me.” Well, actually… What had scared the bullies off was the glares she had sent them behind Brion… And the knife she pulled out from her pocket. She’d, uh, been having a bad day and decided to take extreme measures… Not like she would have actually used the knife. She only wanted to scare them off, and figured the sight of a weapon she didn’t even know how to use would work, but… That wasn’t pertinent to the point she was trying to get across. “You will protect Shiloh for me too, right?”

“I’ll protect them all!” Brion stood tall and puffed his chest out.

Frisk laughed. “I’m sure you will.”

“I’m going to miss you, but I know you’ll come back.”

“I’m going to miss you too.” Frisk gave him another quick squeeze. “I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

He smiled up at her and stood next to Shiloh. He grabbed the little girl’s hand. He was already taking his job as protector seriously.

Frisk moved to Donielle. The younger girl set Ezra on the ground and gave Frisk a hug. Ezra grabbed onto Donielle’s blue shirt and pulled himself up onto his feet.

“I need you to be there for Amin. He’s strong, but sometimes he needs others to be strong too.” Frisk spoke in a whisper so the person they were talking about wouldn’t hear. “And Shiloh and Brion are going to need you watching out for them too.”

“I know. I’ll be strong.”

“But don’t forget to go to others when you need help, and… Don’t grow up too quickly.” Frisk had been forced to grow up so fast. She sometimes watched Brion and Shiloh and wished she could have grown up with the child innocence and freeness they had.

Donielle smiled through tears. “Okay.” She picked up Ezra and wiped her tears away. “The chances of succeeding are slim, but… I know you’ll do it anyway. What Brion said yesterday was true. You’re the strongest person I know.”

“I’ll try to come back. And I think you should be aware that you’re the strongest person I know, Doni. Don’t let anyone or any experience tell you otherwise.”

“I won’t.”

Frisk tickled Ezra’s stomach. He laughed and grabbed her finger. “Bye, Ezra. Bye, Doni.”

“Bye… We will see each other again soon.”

Frisk wanted to believe what Donielle said was true. She slid her feet against the rocky and dusty ground to stand in front of Amin. She stared at him for a moment, not sure what to say at first. They had spoken late into the night yesterday. There wasn’t much left for her to say. “You’ll… take care of them all for me, won’t you?”

Amin stood tall and straight. He had a look on his face Frisk had only seen when she saw her reflection. He was determined. “I will.”

Frisk gave him a hug, being gentle since he had a sleeping Ellis in his arms.

“You be careful for us, won’t you?” he asked.

“I’ll do my best.” Frisk smirked. “We know how disastrous I can be at times.”

“Understatement of the century.” Amin pulled away but kept a firm grip on her hand. “All those years back, when you were six and I was five, you promised me we would stick together.”

“I know. I’m sorry-“

“So, you have to come back,” he said, a bit forcefully. “You will come back.”

“I’ll do my best,” Frisk repeated. “I can’t promise I will for sure. I don’t know what’s going to happen.” She was starting to hate making promises. They just added another responsibility. She had enough on her shoulders as it was.

“Don’t forget what I told you yesterday.”

“I won’t.” Frisk laughed. “Gosh, Amin, I was planning on leaving you all with words of wisdom. I didn’t think you would be the one lecturing me.”

Amin nudged her. “Ah, well, you’re probably the one who needs words of wisdom most.”

Frisk brushed down Ellis’ hair. The twin huffed in her sleep. “Bye, Ellis.” Frisk smiled at Amin and gripped onto her staff tighter. She didn’t say bye to Amin, and he didn’t say bye to her. They were words neither of them wanted to acknowledge. Saying goodbye felt too final when they both knew there was a large chance of them never seeing each other again. To say goodbye would set a bad fate in stone.

“They’ll be well taken care of,” Leader Fritz reassured her when she walked up to him. “They will be okay.”

Frisk glanced over at her group. _Her family._ “I know.” They had each other. They could rely on each other. Their strengths complimented each other. A weakness for one was a strength for another. They might miss her, but they were going to be okay without her. She had to focus on herself. She couldn’t constantly worry about them if she wanted to survive her journey. Her sole priority needed to be overcoming the many trials she was sure to face.

“They all seem like remarkable children. I look forward to getting to know them. It’s been a long time since there were children in my home.”  
Frisk’s head snapped to the leader. He was smiling at the kids. A strong feeling of relief washed over her. The ‘trial’ Leader Fritz was doing with the orphans could turn out to be the real thing. They could earn a family with an adult guardian instead of just her. “They are remarkable children. They are very obedient. Amin and Donielle are very helpful, Shiloh and Brion are sweethearts, and Ezra and Ellis are the cutest toddlers I’ve seen…” She hid her playful smile.

Leader Fritz chuckled. “It’s just a trial, Frisk, but we will see what happens.”

“Yes, of course,” Frisk replied, trying to sound respectful instead of amused. “I’m ready to go now.”

“Stand straight for me,” Leader Fritz whispered. He brought out a scroll. The crowd silenced and watched them. “Frisk Mendoza, I give you our request for peace and freedom. Deliver this to the king and queen of the monsters.” His strong voice echoed through the cavern so everyone could hear.

The officials yesterday told her she could say a few words if she wanted too, but she didn’t know what to say. She had used up all her words for the people that mattered to her. A majority of the other risen kids hadn’t spoken either. She only nodded and took the scroll from him. The paper crinkled in her hand. She stared at it with awe and stress. She was holding the future of both humans and monsters. She very carefully placed it in her bag. She couldn’t mess this up.

“May your journey be safe and successful.” With those words, Leader Fitz moved to the side, clearing Frisk’s path for her. Two escorts placed themselves on either side of Frisk.

Frisk knew she was doing good here, but the escorts pinned close to her sides and the way everyone was watching her made her feel like she was being exiled. They hoped she would come back, but they also knew there was a large chance she wouldn’t. They were sending off another doomed child. The doubt and sadness showed on their faces more than their hope. She couldn’t blame them. They didn’t have much determination left.

She sighed and pushed her thoughts away. She planted a smile on her face to hide her true emotions. If no one else was going to smile, she would be the one to do it. Smiling made her feel better.

She kept her head up and walked down the path that would lead her to the Barrier. The other six kids before her had smiled and look proud as they walked too. She remembered wondering how they could manage to smile when they were walking towards their deaths. She knew now this was the easiest way for them to act. They had no choice, so it was better to be brave about it than crying and making a fuss. Crying only made this harder for everyone.

She hadn’t known many of the kids very well. Frisk only had a connection with two of the other kids. The first was Anah. She was the second human to go to the surface, but the first one to be sent up because of the Determination Festival. Even then, Frisk had only known her for a few months. Three at the most. Emilio was another. His mother was Ms. Alicia, the caretaker of Frisk’s orphanage. He had been chosen two years ago. He had been an extremely annoying person, always teasing and pranking her. She felt sad for all the humans who had gone to the surface and never returned, but she couldn’t deny the underground was a lot more peaceful with him gone. _However_... she still hadn’t decided if the loss of his liveliness was good. Sometimes it was missed.

She had seen the other kids around town a couple times but never had many conversations with them. Despite the few interactions, she believed she could have been friends with them if their circumstances had been different.

Frisk stopped just at the outskirts of town. She stood in front of a statue that had been carved not that long ago. It had been erected about 6 years ago, just before the death of her mother. The statue was made of the best stone they had been able to find underground. The stone was still clean and new. This was one of the few things that was taken care of well. It was a symbol of hope for the people. The plaque on it read, ‘Memorial for the first fallen monster and the first risen human.’

The statue was for Asriel and Chara. They had been best friends. They were both dead now. They had died at eleven years of age… At least, that was what was presumed and announced. Frisk didn’t know the truth.

“Ugh.” She was annoyed when she felt tears prick her eyes. She visited this statue often. It hurt the same amount every time. The carvers hadn’t had much to work with. The statue itself was simple. It was just of two hearts. One of them was upside down, while the other was right side up. They were SOULs, but not many people were aware of this. Their mother had been asked about the design, and this is what she had told them to do without any other explanation.

“Hello, Chara. Howdy, Asriel. How are you guys doing?” Frisk rested her head on the cool stone. She placed her hand on the statue and stretched her fingers, so she was touching both of the SOULs. The carvers had been surprised when this was what their mother asked for. They had expected her to want a life-like statue for both of them. Frisk understood why she hadn’t wanted that. They didn’t need that. Their faces were ingrained in their mother’s mind. Less so in Frisk’s, but she could still create foggy pictures of them when she closed her eyes. She remembered Asriel’s kind and gentle smile, and his floppy ears she had liked to tug at when he pulled her in for a hug. The daring and determined light in Chara’s eyes was a quality she had always admired, but not so much the various scratches and cuts that always that lined their arms and legs because of all the ‘accidents’ they were always in. She could never forget Asriel and Chara.

“I’m doing fine… I guess… As fine as I can… I’m going to the surface… Like you guys. I’m the same age and everything.” Frisk laughed. “Who would have thought I’d follow your path?” Frisk lifted up her head. They were the people she had admired most in life, but she would have preferred not to follow their path.

“Help me be strong, please. I know you’re gone, but… help me… I don’t know if I can do this… Watch down at me from wherever you are… Please…” Frisk dropped her hand and smiled again. They used to always be her big protectors. There were times when they wanted to go out and do their big kid things, but they often let her come with them. Asriel was especially good at including her.

“Thank you… my siblings…”

Her escorts stood to the side while she had her moment with her siblings. They tried to give her space and pretend like they hadn’t heard what happened. They were acting a little more awkward than they needed to. Frisk felt bad for how uncomfortable they both appeared.

“I’m ready to keep moving,” Frisk told them. They were eager to set out again.

They were less eager when they finally made it to the Barrier. They stopped right in front of the entrance. They were too scared and nervous to see the Barrier. They didn’t even want to open the gate for her. People sometimes forgot the Barrier was only designed to keep them in, not kill them if they got close. Frisk reassured them she could handle it from here, and they parted ways.

She felt an array of different emotions and sensations as soon as she stepped near the Barrier. Her emotions were the easiest to understand. In mere minutes, she would be up on the surface. The place all humans dreamed of living and experiencing. She had heard so many amazing stories about the surface from her brother, but, as good as he was at telling stories, she had been forced to create pictures from her imagination. She didn’t know what the surface would really be like. She didn’t know what to expect, but she wanted to discover what the surface had to offer. She felt a mixture of excitement, fear, and nervousness, fighting against each other for dominance.

She was pinning down the strange sensations she felt as the magic of the Barrier. They were what she had felt when she first visited the Barrier. She felt the strange pulsing located inside her chest. Her skin prickled and grew more intense the closer she got to the Barrier, until she felt like she had walked into a room of static electricity. The Barrier was calling to her, beckoning her to come.

She gave into its call and stepped inside it. Its magic started to try and push her out like before – odd, since it was insistent she go through. She felt the burning desire to fight back, and it overcame her nervousness and fear. She wouldn’t give up. She wasn’t going to allow herself to be stopped, not even if someone called out to her.

She grunted and pushed through. The force pushed against her. She decided this must be what it felt like to move a mountain. Her fingers gripped onto the straps of her backpack. Beads of sweat from the exertion appeared on her forward. She had to take it slow. One small step after the other.

She didn’t know how long she walked. She was too busy fighting through to keep track. She barely noticed the change when it finally came. The Barrier stopped fighting and gave way. The magic shoved her forwards.

She closed her eyes and tumbled out.


End file.
